Will Grayson, Will Grayson

Written by John Green and David Levithan

Narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl

2011 Odyssey Honor for Excellence in Audiobook Production

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with . . . Will Grayson. Two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high school stage. Told in alternating voices from two YA superstars, this collaborative novel features a double helping of the heart and humor that have won them both legions of fans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9780593209516

John Green

John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan), and The Fault in Our Stars. His many accolades include the Printz Medal, a Printz Honor, and the Edgar Award. He has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. John was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers (youtube.com/vlogbrothers), one of the most popular online video projects in the world. You can join the millions who follow John on Twitter (@johngreen) and tumblr (fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com) or visit him online at johngreenbooks.com. John lives with his family in Indianapolis, Indiana.

[emaurer-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I struggled with rating this book. There were moments that were awesome but to me the majority of the book was just ok. I wish you could give half a star because this book was probably a 2.5 stars.

I picked up this book because I wanted to read another book by John Green. I had read "A Fault in Our Stars" and enjoyed it and heard amazing things about "Finding Alaska" and "Paper Towns". Those books were checked out so I thought I would give "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" a try.

This book was very different than what I thought. I had expected the story to focus on the Will Graysons meeting each other and their resulting friendship or whatever. I guess I thought it would be a type of "Prince and the Pauper" story, but really the two Will Graysons did not interact much they just were both pulled into Tiny Cooper's orbit.

Tiny Cooper was a problematic character for me. All of the characters in this book seemed like broad stroke caricatures more than well rounded people. Tiny worst of all. He came across as arrogant, selfish, and self-absorbed. I think the play attempted to show that he cared about his best friend Will and he remembered all the times Will stood up for him, but it was hard to find that redeeming because it was still all about Tiny.

[nclithing · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A funny, modern book. Successfully encapsulates some of the gravity of teenage minds when they're dealing with big issues, in my opinion. A good balance of dark and light.

[caedocyon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Aaaah, I don't know. Lowercase will grayson was such a little shit at the beginning, I honestly sympathized more with his mother. (I think that officially makes me Old People.) It would have been a real slog to read about him if he'd kept on like that, but luckily he gains about 5 years of emotional intelligence in the space of two pages after he comes back from Chicago. The characters spend the entire rest of the book processing their emotions about/with one another. I don't know how accurate this is; I didn't date in high school.

[dawn.zimmerer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is for the Audio CD Version by Brilliance Audio:

Let me begin by saying I love audio CD’s. I rarely start my car without a book in my CD player. My love for them began when my work commute was one hour each way; now it is only about 10 minutes so books take longer, but they are still a part of my everyday life.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is read/performed by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl. Having 2 people, one for each Will Grayson, proved to be very useful. I thought they did an excellent job bringing together a complex duo of stories into one cohesive audio event. An especially interesting part of the audio experience was hearing some of the “singing” of the songs in Tiny Cooper’s musical.

While, for many, Tiny Cooper is the favorite character, I have to say that the Will Graysons (or is that Wills Grayson???) are my favorites. I think they represent the moody, funny, concerned, peer pressured, harried, and at times, haunted teen population.

The book illustrates that, while there may be differences (one Will is straight, the other gay), the similarities are what bind us. The need to be loved and noticed coupled with the need to be invisible and left alone - divergent needs but equally strong - are explored through the tracks of this audio book.

Two authors, one straight (John Green) and one gay (David Levithan) collaborating enabled them to explore these similarities and differences. All of this coupled with the humor and fabulousness which is Tiny Cooper. This was on my “to be read” list and I am thrilled that I got a chance to listen to it sooner than I thought I would!

[wanderlustlover_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As Aly told me before I read it, "Everyone deserves their own Tiny Cooper."

And it's entirely true. And, though my name is not Will Grayson, I would totally stand up for Tiny Cooper, too. I think you should read this book simply because it is clever and lovely, and to two points of view are entirely different, and the whole point of it does not rest solely in either Will or Tiny, but in the world, and in love, and in *trying* your hardest no matter what.

This one went to a special place in my heart. Maybe it's sitting in a corner having tea, and playing chess, with Boy Meets Boy even now.

[pajaritodelbosque · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book, being able to see the perspectives and emotions of both characters is fantastic. The demonstration of the friendship and love in this is a good representation. (Translated from Spanish)

[Laslecturasdelala · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Young adult novel with LGBT+ themes, set in Chicago, narrated in the first person. It is a co-authorship between writers John Green and David Levithan, each bringing to life a Will Grayson; I hadn't read anything by the authors before, but I will read them separately later.

How is it different?
The Will Grayson by John Green is an ordinary boy, a good student, and heterosexual. The writing style follows all grammatical rules. The Will Grayson by David Levithan is a boy who suffers from depression and is gay. The writing style is entirely in lowercase.

Why three stars?
It wasn't what I expected to find; the story isn't bad (some people love it). Some scenes from the chapters written by John Green made me laugh, and I came across some very interesting phrases. The character of Jane is adorable, and my favorite was Anne, the mother of the melancholy Will Grayson. When he confessed to her that he is gay, her understanding and open attitude was really nice; that’s how parents should be, but it’s not always like that. I highlight the value of friendship between John Green's Will Grayson and Tiny Cooper, a secondary character who, although not the main focus, is the connection between the two Will Graysons. (Translated from Spanish)

[dairyqueen84 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this and I loved the premise. If I hadn't seen the authors discuss their book at Symphony Space, I don't know if I would have seen the book as an X where the paths of the two Will Grayson's cross. Clever and well done. Will's parents were a little too cool to believe for YA lit.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about two teens in suburban Illinois with the same name, one straight and one gay, and how their paths ultimately cross. Told in alternating chapters with Green writing the first Will and Levithan the second, each Will describes dealing with almost the same issues of friendship, love, trust, and where they fit in. Straight Will lives by two simple rules, don’t care too much and shut up, which means he hasn’t really had a girlfriend and he kind of blends into the scenery at school. Gay Will lives with his divorced mom and suffers from depression. Tiny Cooper is straight Will Grayson’s best friend and he is one huge presence and personality. Tiny is really huge and gay. The Gay Straight Alliance at Will’s school is putting on Tiny’s play, Tiny Dancer which is basically about Tiny’s life. In the process Will finds out how Tiny really sees him and he’s devastated. Tiny also tries to fix him up with a mutual friend, Maura, and Will kind of freaks out. Both Wills meet in an unlikely but believable place and manner and Tiny helps the other Will Grayson overcome a devastation of his own. The dialogue is quick and witty; the voices are all very different and it is easy to distinguish one character from another. Straight Will Grayson’s parents are a little too cool to be believed in teen literature.

[fionaanne · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I like these two authors less together than either on his own. :)

[raquelhdeda · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The narration leaves a lot to be desired... I think it's fine for the character to speak like that (in the messages he sends), I've read that before and it doesn't bother me. But the narration of one of the Wills was constantly in lowercase, it had many other spelling mistakes regarding: writing "h" when it shouldn't be, and when it is a word, not writing it or writing it wrong..., swapping "v" and "b" as he pleased..., and accents, about the accents..., I saw words that had 2, and not putting even 1; and conversely, words that don't have them, and he put them on all the vowels. Honestly, that took me out of the story a lot; I hardly even made it to chapter 5..., unfortunately.

I don't understand the hype around this book, without offending anyone, (they painted it for me as if it was going to be the best book I read in my life), and I suppose the disappointment was greater because of that. Although it has happened to me with another book by the author; I suppose it’s just that he is simply not an author for me. (Translated from Spanish)

[Americabooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a bit difficult for me to finish, but it was very beautiful and brought a tear or two to my eyes. Great concept of friendship. (Translated from Spanish)

[PascualAlfahuir · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Whoever reads this book already knows that it is a story about teenagers. I liked it a lot, a great summer vacation read. (Translated from Spanish)

[inkstained · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn't really think I'd connect well with this novel, for reasons that are unclear to me, and obviously completely misguided anyway. Why must John Green do this me? And now, with friends working with him! In all seriousness, it was a delightful read and an insightful exploration of the nature of friendship, love, and radical truth-telling.

There are two Will Graysons. They have a chance meeting late one night in Chicago. One Will Grayson is best friends with Tiny Cooper, and upon meeting up in Chicago, the other Will Grayson ends up falling in love with Tiny Cooper. It turns out, this story isn't so much about either Will Grayson, despite the fact that they share alternating point of view. Tiny Cooper is the real star of the show, acting at once as the mirror that the Wills see themselves in, as the comic relief, and as the source of the courage that each Will needs to be radically honest with themselves. Tiny Cooper excels at what neither Will Greyson is good at--being unabashedly, unapologetically, and unflinchingly himself, publicly, and with enthusiasm.

Tiny Cooper is the optimism and the hope and the resilience that we all hope to have in adulthood. He still experiences pain, and life is almost never completely easy for him (save for the fact that his parents are rich), and he is far from perfect, but he has not given up nor given in. One Will Grayson has dealt with his pain and suffering by erecting a wall around himself consisting of a couple of rules, among them: do not care, and don't say anything. With these rules, he hopes to save himself from the trouble that inevitably ensues whenever he does care or does speak up. In essence, he chooses not to feel. The other Will Grayson takes a different approach. Finding himself unable to shut off the flow of pain and anger, he takes medication for clinical depression, and he pushes away everyone who loves him. If he can't stop feeling this way, he figures, he should at least keep other people from having to suffer with him. In these three characters, we have a moving meditation on what we can do with heartbreak.

This is also a meditation on the nature of friendships. Early in the novel one of the Will Graysons shares that old adage (by way of his father) that "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose." He then goes on to prove it wrong. It's a corny line, and a funny scene, but the bit of truth within it is profound--that we really do not choose our friends. We find our friends, and sometimes they find us, and sometimes we don't even really know how we found each other. But we do not pick them, as if they were t-shirts we could just shove in a drawer until we want them. Friends are neither choosable, nor expendable.

It is Tiny Cooper that really brings this message home in the end, however. It is through his eyes that we see the history he and his friend, Will Grayson, have, and the importance of that history. History alone isn't enough to sustain a friendship when it's broken, but it can be enough to motivate a heartfelt reconciliation when both parties are brave enough to be radically honest with themselves first.

This is a book about love: parental love, friendly love, romantic love, but most of all complicated, messy, human love.

[ssperson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How do I explain how much I loved this book? It was laugh-out-loud funny, poignant, sad, and ultimately uplifting. I have a feeling that the authors wouldn't really like the "uplifting" part of that sentence, but I had to say it.

Will Grayson #1 had me laughing right off the bat. The whole "you can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose" thing was hysterical. And I liked how that was a recurring theme through the book.

I wanted to bring Will Grayson #2 home with me and keep him safe and warm and happy. Luckily for all of use Tiny Cooper and WG1 sort of took care of that.

Oh, Tiny Cooper. I want a Tiny Cooper in my life. He struck me as the kind of kid who figured that, given his life circumstances, he could be miserable, or he could embrace who and what he was and run with it. Thankfully, he chose the latter. I really want to see his musical. :)

This book is definitely for the older YA audience. The characters are 16-17, and that's the age I would recommend for the reader, as this book deals with some mature issues, and the language is rather raw at times.

[dzejncrvena · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading the entire story.
By now, I already know the writing style of Green and Levithan.
I noticed that the latter is prone to write about sulky characters who brood over being left behind, brokenhearted or just depressed.
Green is prone to write about friends and sidekicks.
The ending was sappy and also inspiring.
5 was my first intended rating but I lowered it to 4 because I'm not confident enough to recommend it to anyone. It has some BUTs....

I picked it for 2020 PopSugar Reading Challenge: "with upside down in the cover" or "involves social media: Facebook"

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is about two boys...both named Will Grayson. What do you think the odds are of that happening? The two boys meet randomly and their life changes at that point for everlasting effects. . It's about Tiny Dancer, Tiny Coopers life in the form of a musical. It's about love and depression and friendship…but in a nutshell it's just really a lot of fun. The characters have some flaws and at some point they are all unlikable to a certain degree …and there are some parts that are frustrating…but darn it…you just can’t stop reading or quit laughing. I have read other John Green novels, but nothing quiet like this. It steadily builds to what we are sure must be a grand finale…and the reader is anything but disappointed.

[drfuriosa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I want Tiny Cooper as a best friend now :)

[Mirana la Reina Blanca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First, I thank the person who allowed me to make this loan-theft (don't misunderstand, I will return it for sure on Tuesday) to her sister @Alejandro de Mirana. My first readings when I returned to reading "as an adult" were John Green, and I only had two books left unread, and this was one of them. I know his style almost by heart and I am aware of how he likes to give his twists. However, in this story, there were twists that I didn't expect. It is a book (like all of John Green's) incredibly easy to read, intriguing, with philosophical nuances, phrases that leave you breathless, and a love story that will leave you stunned and unable to believe it happened that way. The characters are lifelike, with flesh and blood, with mistakes, fears, and flaws. This book is undoubtedly very good. Although I must admit I expected a bit more at the end, the book is very good overall. Recommended! (Translated from Spanish)

[Alex Momo · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The idea of the book sounded amazing, imagine meeting a guy with your same name and your same age, but in the end, your story doesn't count because the best friend steals the spotlight and in the end, the story remains open. (Translated from Spanish)

[Val1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit that, although I like John Green, this story presented by him did not seem interesting to me at all; I don't even remember the plot. It hasn't been his best book, honestly, so that's why I only give it one star. (Translated from Spanish)

[MacarenaZuniga · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book is good. At certain points, it is tedious and features characters with unlikely personalities, for example, Maura. She is completely wrecked and I think she could fit in a science fiction book, but overall, an excellent book. (Translated from Spanish)

[AreliVilla · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It did not meet my expectations and I felt it was a very slow book. (Translated from Spanish)

[Andreagq · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I didn't like it much, but the narration is great. (Translated from Spanish)

[miliiconserva · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

AME AME AME AMEEE
I love the friendship between the main character and his best friend, I love how Will and the other Will meet, the romantic relationships in this book are MAGNIFICENT!
Tiny, the great friend of the first Will, what a wonderful character, as good a friend as a partner for the Wills.
I love the ending, one of my all-time favorites.
I would recommend it to characters whose favorite genre is romance ❣️! (Translated from Spanish)

[elenaj-147457 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Overall very enjoyable and engrossing.

My main complaint is that this book is probably a bit too utopic. I would be extremely (and pleasantly) surprised if the climactic scene in the book could actually happen in a high school in the Chicago suburbs.

I also didn't find the narration of the two Will Graysons to be sufficiently distinct. (Which is kind of funny, since I believe they're actually written by two different authors.) More than once, I was grateful for the choice for one Will Grayson to write entirely in lowercase, so that I could tell them apart.

But those are both minor quibbles, from my perspective. The likeable, misanthropic, love-seeking Will Graysons are endearing and believable. I was rooting for them both.

[nlmii · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Honestly it was a nice story, but I felt like it ended aruptly

[AriaMartinez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Will Grayson, Will Grayson" presents us with two boys who are roughly the same age, who do not know each other, and who apparently have nothing in common other than the fact that they are both named "Will Grayson."

The first Will Grayson introduced in this story is a boy who likes to have his life planned out and to go unnoticed by the rest of the world. His plan is to finish high school with as few problems as possible, and for that, he has two very simple rules: Be quiet and Don't make too much of a fuss. Which, when you really think about it, isn't so easy when his best friend is Tiny Cooper, who is determined to find him a girlfriend...
The second Will Grayson lives with his mother on the other side of the city and suffers from depression, which makes his attitude and outlook on life quite negative. He completely lacks a social life because, although he hangs out at school with Simon, Derek, and Maura, he sees their relationship as limited, and beyond that, he does not consider them his friends. The only person he opens up to is Isaac, a boy he met a year ago in an online chat...
Their paths cross when the first Will Grayson plans to go to a concert with Tiny Cooper and Jane, and the second Will Grayson goes on his first date with Isaac... None of their plans go as they had hoped, and through the coincidences of life and destiny, their paths will meet, crossing in Tiny Cooper's journey, causing their lives, as they know them, to take a total turn...

Told in the first person, the story is divided into 20 alternating chapters from each Will's point of view, through which we get to know the rest of the cast. It has been a book that surprised me in all aspects: First, I was surprised by the initial idea, which I don’t know why, I had of this book... And that is, I knew it was LGBT-themed, so I spent a large part of the story waiting for a relationship between the two Will Graysons and for John Green to kill one of them... It's true that we encounter romance; love is a major theme in this story, but it’s not so much the romantic love we find, but love in general... The love of family but, above all, the unconditional love of good friends, despite differences.

In short, I found a story more complex than we might perceive at first, dealing with quite interesting themes within young adult literature such as: homosexuality, depression, or bullying, all of which are addressed in the peculiar way we expect from John Green, but at the same time with the naturalness and respect they deserve.

I really liked the characters, each Will Grayson with his well-defined personality, each with his own story and much to share, and characters to introduce us to. But undoubtedly, for me, the main character of this story, the one I loved the most and the main pivot of the plot is Tiny Cooper. A peculiar character like few, who will bring us more than one smile but one of the most enriching characters that will change our perspective.

I was not familiar with David Levithan's writing, and I had only read John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars', a book that I loved, by the way, so I can say that this won't be the only thing I read by David, and I reaffirm that I love John Green's unique way of telling stories.

The reading pace is swift, the narratives, just like each Will Grayson, are well-defined, each with their own style and clearly differentiated. At first, it is true that I struggled a little to get situated, although it may also be more my fault than the book itself, as I mentioned before, I had a somewhat strange perception of this book x'D, but little by little it hooked me, and before I realized, I had already finished it. (Translated from Spanish)

[susan.macura · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another winner from YA author John Green. Two teens meet by accident who happen to have the same name. Their lives could not have been more different, but the intersection of their lives helps to make a school musical more than successful! Very entertaining and very uplifting!

[ParaCasa · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this story, we find two completely different characters with the peculiarity that they both share the same name, Will Grayson. As expected, these characters meet and get to know each other, and their worlds begin to change because of this small fact. It is curious how, when we meet someone, friendships start to change and different events occur that show us we are in constant change; this is the most realistic aspect of the book, as we have all met new people and changed habits in our days for that simple reason.

I have read more than one book by John Green, and what stands out to me, especially in this book, is the ending, as it reminded me a lot of the ending of his first book. On the other hand, I haven't read anything by David Levithan yet, so I assume his part is that of the Will who chats online and doesn't have many friends to talk to; his way of handling this part seemed more realistic to me, and it was evident that he writes books related to homosexuality.

Deep down, I liked many parts of the book, although I found it a bit slow and predictable. For an audience looking for romantic young adult narratives, it is a very appropriate book as it approaches love from many different perspectives. However, for those not in that audience, many parts of the story may become tedious and predictable, as happened to me for the most part. (Translated from Spanish)

[mrnattania72 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As many of you know that I am not a realistic fiction reader; however, when I do select a realistic fiction YA book, they tend to be pretty good. My first example would be Openly Straight, that was not only a good twist on a coming of age-book for young LGBT queue kids but it also had a good story and good lesson. Take that description and multiply it by 100,000 and you have Will Grayson Will Grayson. I never thought a book could have characters that I know in real life and provide a heartfelt lesson , that too evolves as the book and the reader progresses. This was one of the must reads for me and I’m glad that I got through to the end. You won’t be sorry